You'll wish you knew this humbucker drive trick when you first started

Can you get crunch tones on a humbucker™ guitar without pedals? Yes! Here’s how to dial your amp for humbucker overdrive tones.

In this tutorial, we’ll show how, if you’re running a vintage-style amp, Tweed circuit, or British-style amp, your guitar’s volume knob is your secret weapon for getting rich, dynamic crunch tones with humbuckers—WITHOUT the need for pedals. This guide from our full tutorial on how to dial in your amplifier shows you how to shape your tone using just your guitar and amp; no pedals are needed.

Watch as Dinesh shows you how, by using this technique, you’ll get the most out of your humbucker pickups and get smooth, responsive overdrive tones that clean up beautifully so you can just use your guitar’s volume pots to get the dynamics you want!

▶ Products used in this video:
Shop the Gibson Falcon 20 combo HERE: https://bit.ly/4kXlPhq
Shop the Gibson.com Exclusive guitars Dinesh is playing: https://bit.ly/4kXlzis

▶ Watch the full video here:    • Better guitar tones WITHOUT pedals — Dial ...  

Here’s how to get crunch tones from your humbucker guitar without pedals, using only your amplifier settings!

Step 1: Start at the edge of breakup on your amp
Set your amp volume at noon or slightly above. Humbuckers push the amp harder than P-90s, so you’ll get overdrive faster.

Step 2: Choose your input wisely
If your amp has high and low inputs, try the low input for a cleaner base tone and more control from your volume knob.

Step 3: Use your humbucker guitar’s volume knob for dynamics
Roll the volume down for a clean rhythm sound.
Crank it up for natural crunch and lead tones! No pedal is needed to get the drive sound.

Step 4: Adjust the tone controls for clarity
Humbuckers have more low end, so back off the bass slightly.
Boost treble or presence to cut through and brighten up the tone.

Step 5: Use reverb and volume for more tonal variety
If you want a completely clean tone, lower the amp volume.
Add a touch of reverb to keep your tone full and spacious without adding breakup and making your sound fuller without the need for overdrive.

This amp setting works great with humbuckers but be sure to check out the full tutorial on how to get clean and distortion tones with just an amp and the guitar volume and tone knobs.



📼 Related Videos To Watch Next:
▶ A complete guide to unlocking and dialing in your guitar amp:    • Better guitar tones WITHOUT pedals — Dial ...  
▶ How to buy a tube amp in 2025:    • You'll wish you knew this before buying yo...  
▶ The return of the Gibson Falcon amps!    • The Return of Gibson Amps: Falcon 5 & Falc...  


Subscribe to the Official Gibson Gear Guide:    / @gibson  
📩 Get Gibson guitar news before ANYONE else: https://bit.ly/GetGibsonNEWS

📱Follow Us On Social Media For Early Access To Product News
▶   / gibsonguitar  
▶   / gibsonguitar  
▶   / gibson  

📹 Follow our other channels!

Official Epiphone:    / @officialepiphone  
Official Mesa Boogie:    / @mesaboogie  
Official Gibson TV:    / @gibsonguitar  
Official Kramer Guitars:    / @kramerguitarsusa  
Official KRK Music:    / @krksystems  

Learn to play with Gibson App - Interactive Lessons with Real-Time Feedback, New Songs Added Every Week, a Digital Amp (iOS only), and Personal Guides from the Best Guitarists in the World: https://bit.ly/GetGibsonApp

🛒 Shop Gibson Brands:

Gibson: https://www.gibson.com/
Epiphone: https://www.epiphone.com/
Mesa Boogie: https://www.mesaboogie.com/
Kramer: https://www.kramerguitars.com/
Maestro pedals: https://www.maestroelectronics.com/
KRK Systems: https://www.krkmusic.com/
More info on Steinberger: https://www.steinberger.com/

ABOUT GIBSON GEAR GUIDE:
Welcome to Gibson Gear Guide – the official YouTube channel made by gearheads, for gearheads. Get first access to our latest guitars, basses, amps, pedals, and pro-audio gear. Watch equipment reviews, exclusive artist interviews and performances, deep dives into the history of the world’s most iconic guitars, and more.

#gibson #GibsonGearGuide
Video Production by Bolo Brothers Creative